Dead end clamp



R. E. Ff-AMBQE DEAD END CLAMP Filed April 25. 1940 June 24, 1 941.

Rhea E. Fla/m bo s Patented June 24, 1941 one-n END mm Rhea E. Flamboe, Keokuk, Iowa I Application-AWPZE, 1940, Serial No. 331,653

6 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in clamps for dead-ending overhead'conductors to towers, poles, buildings or other supports and it aims to provide a new and improved device of this nature.

In carrying out the above end, a further object is to provide a clamp which aids materially when sagging in or removing slack from a length of wire which has been strung, the term sagging in being a trade expression meaning removal of the required amount of slack from the conductor to give it the desired amount of tension and sag.

Another object is to provide a clamp which may be operated after the wire-tightening or slackremoving operation and will not permit any additional slack to return, overcoming the necessity of taking up on the endof the wire several times before the desired tension and sag can be maintained. 7

A still further object is to provide a clamp, the clamping action of which will be increased by the pull of a conductor.

Yet another object is to provide a device which will aid materially in preventing crystallization of the conductor at the clamp and consequent conductor breakage.

With the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the clamp engaged with the dead ended conductor before removing the implements which have been used in drawing the required amount of slack from the conductor. I

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section partly in elevation.

Figure 3 is a top plan view.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clamping block for the conductor.

A preferred construction has been illustrated and will be rather specifically described, with the understanding, however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may be made.

An elongated link 5 is provided, preferably composed of two side links 6 with a pin or the like I passing through one end for engagement with an anchoring lug 8 associated with an insulator a whole by the number l2, said clamp being operable to clamp the conductor I3 against any selected peripheral portion of the wheel. To draw the required amount of slack out of the conductor l3, it is passed one or more times around the wheel In, and its free end is engaged with suitable pulling means. In the present disclosure, I have more or less' diagrammatically illustrated" a wire. stretching device M having one clamp for connecting it with the conductor and another clamp is for connecting it with the free end of said conductor after the latter has been passed around the wheel Ill. Thus, by operating the stretching device or'the like M, the free end of the wire maybe drawn in to give this wire the desired'amount of tension and'sag. After doing this, while the device I4 is holding the conductor, the clamplZ is operated to securely fasten the conductor end to the wheel l0, and said clamp includ'esa portion I! to abut the link 5 to prevent retrograde rotation of .said wheel, so that the slack taken from the conductor cannot return thereto. After engagement of the clamp I2 to tightly secure the wire end to the wheel m, the stretching device is is removed and the free end of the wire may then be curved back from the clamp as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1, said free end being carried on to any desired oint.

The link 5 is preferably provided with a cam [8 which: coacts with a portion of the clamp l2, preferably'with the portion ll of said clamp, to exert a c'anting force on said clamp as it is pulled tightly against the link by the tension of the conductor, thereby aiding in better holding the conductor against slipping with respect to the wheel.

In" the preferred construction, herein disclosed, the wheel It is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced transverse openings 19 between its axis and periphery, said openings being radially elongated in the present disclosure. These openings are eooperable with the clamp l2 to permit securing of the latter to the wheel at any of a plurality of circumferentially, spaced locations, so as to permit as little space as possible between the clamp and the link 6 when said clamp is' applied, allowing only a trivial amount of slack taken'from' the wire to return to same. The manner in which the openings l9 coact with the clamp I2 may be better understood after describing the specific clamp structure herein disclosed. This clamp structure includes a U-bolt 20 whose bight portion 2! may extend through any of the openings I9, the arms 2| of said U-bolt being sufliciently long to project beyond the periphery of the wheel [0. A wire clamping block 22 is provided having a curved inner surface 23 to clamp the conductor i3 against the wheel periphery, said block being provided with openings 24 through which the U-bolt arms 2 l extend. These arms are equipped with nuts 25 and when these nuts are tightened, they draw the block 22 inwardly to tightly clamp the conductor between said block and the wheel periphery. One end of the block is preferably cut somewhat acutely as shown in the drawing, and it is this end which is intended to abut the link 5 to prevent retrograde rotation of the wheel I after the conductor has been clamped to said wheel. It is also this end of the block which coacts with the cam I8 tending to exert a canting force on said block to better hold the conductor. In the present showing, there being two side links 6 used in the contruction of the link 5, the block 22 is provided with two portions l1 and each of said links 6 is provided with a cam l8. 7

The end of the block 22 opposite the end above described is preferably rounded somewhat as indicated at 26, facilitating bending of the conductor end back after clamping, without danger of such abrupt bending as to possibly injure the same.

In operation, the link is connected with the tower or other support and the entire clamp I2 is removed from the wheel In. The conductor is then passed around said wheel and by means such as the wire tightener Hi, the free end of the wire is pulled to draw the required amount of slack from the line. This having been done, the U-bolt Ell is passed through the opening I9 of the wheel closest to the upper edge of the link 5, the clamping block 22 is engaged with the arms of said U-bolt, and the nuts 25 are then applied and tightened. The wire is thus securely fastened to the wheel and when the wire pulling means is removed, the formations ll of the block 22 will contact with the cams [8, not only holding the wheel Iii against retrograde movement but exerting a oanting force on said block to better clamp the conductor to the wheel.

Not only can the clamp be used to more easily and conveniently dead end the wire in the first place, but once the required amount of slack is removed, the operation is completed instead of requiring several slack removing operations as with present-day equipment. Moreover, the clamp tends to tighten under the pull of the conductor and furthermore, it aids materially in preventing crystallization of the conductor at the clamp.

The part 27 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is simply a spacing sleeve held between the intermediate portions of the links 6 by means of a pin or the like 28.

On account of the excellent results which have been obtained from the details disclosed, they are preferably followed. However, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A dead end clamp comprising a link and means at one end thereof for connecting it to a tower or other support, a wheel around which to draw the end of a conductor to remove slack from the latter, said wheel being rotatably mounted on the other end of said link on an axis transverse to the length of the latter, and a manually contractable clamp manually attachable to said wheel for securing the conductor to said wheel after removal of the slack, said clamp having a stop portion to abut said link and prevent retrograde rotation of said wheel after the conductor is secured thereto.

2. A dead end clamp comprising a link and means at one end thereof for connecting it to a tower or other support, a wheel around which to draw the end of a conductor to remove slack from the latter, said wheel being rotatably mounted on the other end of said'link on an axis transverse to the length of the latter, and a manually contractable clamp manually attachable to the wheel for securing the conductor to said wheel after removal of the slack, said clamp having a stop portion to abut said link and hold said wheel against retrograde rotation after the conductor is clamped to the wheel, said wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced clamp-engaging portions with any of which said clamp may be engaged.

3. A dead end clamp comprising a link and means at one end thereof for connecting it to a tower or other support, a wheel around which to draw the end of a conductor to remove slack from the latter, said wheel being rotatably mounted on the other end of said link on an axis transverse to the length of the latter, said wheel having a plurality of transverse openings between its axis and its periphery, and a manually contractable clamp insertible through any of said openings for clamping the conductor to the wheel after removal of the slack, said clamp having a stop portion to abut said link and prevent retrograde rotation of the wheel after the conductor is secured thereto.

4. A dead end clamp comprising a link and means at one end thereof for connecting it to a tower or other support, a wheel around which to draw the end of a conductor to remove slack from the latter, said wheel being rotatably mounted on the other end of said link on an axis transverse to the length of the latter, said wheel having a plurality of transverse openings between its axis and periphery, a U-bolt whose bight portion may extend through any of said openings and whose arms are sufficiently long to project beyond the wheel periphery, a clamping block to clamp the conductor against the wheel periphery, said block having openings through which said arms of the bolt extend, and nuts on said arms for drawing said block toward the wheel periphery, said block having an end to abut said link to prevent retrograde rotation of the wheel after the conductor is secured thereto.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1; said link having a cam for exerting a canting force on said clamp to better hold the conductor.

6. A structure as specified in claim 4; said link having a cam abutted by said end of said block and exerting a canting force on said block to better hold the conductor.

RHEA E. FLAMBOE. 

